Team Heart's Mission to Rwanda

Our Rwandan Perfusionist Emmanuel is making great strides in the OR and pumped both of the cases today. This picture is Emmanuel with myself and Chris Swanton. He has the needed book knowledge and is working on the application. It isn't an easy thing to do as the 3 of us "seasoned" Perfusionists often find ourselves scratching our heads and racking our brains as these patients are far sicker than any we see in the States. And even have some diagnosis's that we don't see such as tricuspid stenosis. Tomorrows case is one of those cases that has had the entire OR team communicating on what is best for the patent and how to best handle his complicated problems. This particular patient is mentioned in an earlier blog and has undergone many tests by several different specialties to tell us hopefully all we need to be able to help him. This is one of the great things about Team Heart, we are truly a team and have excellent team work to do what is best for our patients!
Goodnight for now!
Samantha

Pat Come,  Jeanne DeCara,   Marilyn Riley This is my last night in Rwanda before I head back to Chicago. I was new to Team Heart this year. I didn't exactly know what to expect but knew I'd be the company of Team Heart veterans like cardiologist Pat Come and sonographer extraordinaire Marilyn Riley who would show me the ropes. Our first day of screening started with a vehicle breakdown en route to Butare, which was fortuitous in many ways because it gave me time to get to know other members of the team like Gita Mody (surgical resident from BWH) and Saidi Kayiranga (Rwandan sonographer) who were invaluable in the screening effort that day and on those that followed. I was amazed at the severity of heart disease we saw during our screening days, and even more amazed at the grace with which the Rwandans live with their illnesses. Seeing each patient come through surgery by Drs. Bolman and Edwards (who, in addition to being incredibly skilled, are undoubtedly the kindest cardiac surgeons I have ever met)  and now walking around the stepdown unit with smiles on their faces has been a real thrill. It has truly been a privilege to enter into the lives of these patients. Even though the encounters are brief, I'm hopeful that the effects will be long-lasting. Thanks Team Heart for welcoming me to the team. It has been a pleasure. Farewell for now.

There are so many reasons that Team Heart is such a success: the coordinators, the personnel, the country of Rwanda and its people, and best of all, the patients. I think if you asked any return volunteers this year why they do this, most likely their answer would be the patients. An example of this occurred today, Friday, early in the afternoon. There is a patient here who has wiggled his way into all of our hearts. He is from an orphanage in Kigali and was brought to us by his teacher, so we aren't the only ones under his spell. Maybe it's his eyes and the way he watches, the hopeful arch to his brow, his eager friendship with the patients already in stepdown. Surely his bright, beautiful smile, flashed on demand, coupled with his willingness to undergo any test we throw at him both play a part as well. Because this young man is sick, any way you look at it. His right heart is huge. He has an abnormal tricuspid valve that resembles a hose, and a huge foramen ovale, all increasing the workload of his heart. His apical pulse is visible from across the room and without surgical intervention his future will surely be cut short.

We have had several great days in the operating room with everybody pitching in to get the work done. This makes the long days so much more enjoyable. In the first picture, the cardiac surgical and cardiac anesthesia staff are (from left to right - Bobby Oakes, Danny Muehlschlegel, Chuck Edwards, Nelson Thaemert, Chip Bolman, Thomas Matthew). The second picture shows the cardiac anesthesia team (from left to right - Nelson, our patient Celestine, Danny, Joyce Lo, Trusha Govidnji). Last but not least, probably the most important people on the trip are the procurement engineers Andy Willett and David Wilson doing everything from washing instruments, getting food to fixing toilets.

Laurel, from Tufts, is originally from Minnesota. She is a quiet presence ready to do what she can to set up her station and keep running smoothly. Quick to volunteer to work in either the boys room or girls, she does whatever is needed. Calm, she does not appear anxious or concerned about new surroundings or challenges--a trait I recognize in sonographers meant to do this type of challenging fieldwork. She keeps the others company during extra activities, whether a run in the neighborhood, or to explore an offbeat restaurant near by. She shows leadership in set-up, and then looks around for who needs help. Quick to convert her space if needed, she has a sense of peace around her which the children immediately recognize. It was so hard to capture the looks she exchanged with each child--although Josh tried....one that gave each child all they needed to know to feel--as Hey this is Ok...